Products
286 Building for the Community
294 Facades
300 Bathrooms and Sanitary Ware
306 Landscaping and Outdoor Living
310 On the Spot
314 Service
319 Persons and organizations involved in the planning • Contractors and suppliers
322 Programme • Photo credits • Editorial and publishing data

Editorial

Visitor Centres
As a classical multi-purpose building, the typical visitor centre must fulfil a variety of functions. It receives
visitors, provides information about the specific place,
serves as point of departure for guided tours and
­individual sightseeing, and contains both culinary
­offerings and the obligatory souvenir shop. The form it
takes varies as markedly as the accompanying attraction. The gateway to Giant’s Causeway – a spectacular
cliff on the coast of Northern Ireland – is sensitively
inserted in the landscape, while the centre at Sahlenberg National Park stands out against the backdrop of
a sublime landscape. Further facilities in this issue welcome visitors to a medieval castle in Portugal and a
Buddhist site in China’s Qinghai province. As a contemporary reinterpretation of vernacular construction
methods, the latter helps reinstill a sense of local identity following a recent major earthquake.

With a population of nearly 70,000, Colmar
is the third largest city in Alsace. It is home
not only to picturesque taverns and timberframed structures, but also to one of the
greatest treasures of the late middle ages.
The Isenheim Altarpiece, which Matthias
Grünewald painted exactly five hundred
years ago for a monastery of the Order of
St. Anthony just south of Colmar, has been
on view since 1853 at the Unterlinden
­Museum. The three-year-long refurbishment
of and addition to the museum – which is
­situated on the edge of the historic centre –
was completed in time for the jubilee. Herzog & de Meuron and their French partner
architects DeA and Richard Duplat have

www.detail.de
carefully brought the former Dominican
­ onvent up to contemporary standards –
c
part of their approach was to reveal layers
of earlier periods wherever possible. The
plasterboard covering the dark beams has
been removed; the church windows were
refurbished; and a new wood floor was laid
in the former convent church. The latter
­contains the Isenheim Altarpiece. New wood
doors with a restrained design grace the
­entrances, and there is new beaver-tail tiling
on the roof.
In addition to the refurbishment of the convent, the scope of the 44 million euro project
(net costs) included the construction of two
new buildings and the refurbishment of a

former art nouveau municipal bath house
with swimming indoor pool. These measures have nearly doubled the floor area
­accessible to the public: it is now 8000 m2.
Above all, the museum’s collection of paintings – which includes works by Schongauer,
­Monet, Dubuffet and Picasso – now has
­significantly more space. And two new halls
were erected for temporary exhibitions and
events.
Moreover, the citizens of Colmar have had
a public space returned to them that had
served as bus stop and parking lot. The
­Canal de la Sinn once again flows in an
open channel, flanked by broad seating
steps of variegated sandstone. The Place
d’Unterlinden is now the heart of the museum complex; from here one also has access
to the adjacent convent and the museum
addition to the north.
The architects’ concept reinterprets the convent complex, reawakening it for a new use;
this is in keeping with their overarching goal
to instil a sense of tranquillity. The idiosyncratic brick pavilion with sweeping hip roof
situated on the channel’s northern edge
symbolises this quest. Its form and volume
make reference to a mill that stood here
centuries ago. Like a lantern hung from the
eaves – but, in this case, positioned on the
ground – it supplies daylight to the underground passage connecting the museum
and one of the additions. It has two windows, which are set back deep in the wall,
but no door. The pavilion’s role is primarily
to act as a placeholder: the otherwise mostly hidden museum makes its presence
known in the public realm.
Herzog & de Meuron used a similar symbol
in 2003 at the entrance of another museum:
the “Schaulager” in Basel. In both cases, a
small structure draws attention to larger
halls nearby that sport the same palette of
materials. In Colmar the so-called “Ackerhof”, a three-storey structure, makes up the
larger part of the newly built massing. The
lower two levels accommodate the museum’s department of modern art. The top
floor, situated in a space with a height of
11.5 metres below the gable roof, hosts

The city of Yushu, in the southwest of China’s Qinghai province, is an important centre of Tibetan Buddhism, renowned in part
for the Jianamani Memorial. Stones bearing
prayer mantras have accrued here for
some 300 years, and it is estimated that
there are in the meantime some 250 million
of them. Because an ever greater number
of pilgrims visit this site, nearly half the
population now earns its living by processing and engraving the Mani stones.
The new visitor centre was created to serve
two separate groups of people. First, tourists and pilgrims can meet and gather information about Jianamani and its history here.
And second, the members of the local com-

munity will frequent the building’s everyday
amenities. These include a post office, clinic, and public restrooms. The building’s
square floor plan and accompanying central
courtyard correspond formally to the region’s vernacular construction methods.
Thanks to the eleven linked viewing platforms crowning the visitor centre, everyone
who comes here may enjoy the views of the
surrounding holy sites. The wood used was
reclaimed from buildings that were almost
completely destroyed by the earthquake
that struck the region in 2010. The rubble
masonry, laid by local craftsmen, is from a
quarry in the vicinity; the Mani stones also
originate in this quarry.

The exteriors of the new cultural centre in
Ribeira Grande – on São Miguel, one of the
Azorean islands – are characterised by
­solid-masonry gable walls of volcanic rock
and coarse concrete surfaces. On the
grounds of a former tobacco and alcohol
factory, a new campus has been created
that interweaves the new structures with the
existing buildings dating to the late nineteenth century. The project was initiated by
the minister of culture, whose goal is to foster
contemporary art and architecture and furnish a new space for it on an island with an
area of only 700 km2. In addition to exhibitions of, among other things, its own col­
lection of modern art, there are now spaces

for workshops, conferences, concerts and
special events. The new Arquipélago Contemporary Arts Centre is a city within the city:
it has its own network of paths, including
squares and points of access, and also uses
the 3000 m2 outdoor space to present art.
The former manufacturing facilities were
­gutted; then the buildings were comprehensively refurbished. They now provide the
generously scaled framework for exhibitions.
The rooms requiring a higher technical
standard – e.g. event spaces, workshops
and ateliers – are situated in the new buildings. The desire to keep the wall surfaces
free of technical installations led to the decision to employ double walls, which necessi-

tated high-precision planning of all components and built-in units. The solid concrete
walls are part of the passive energy concept:
the considerable thermal mass, combined
with the thermal inertia of the material, ensures that the temperatures inside is comfortable. In order to bring together old and
new, the architects took cues from the existing structures and carefully fine-tuned size,
form and materiality. The two monolithicseeming buildings of dark exposed concrete
– the dark tone was obtained by mixing local
basalt in the concrete – now stand across
from the existing solid-masonry buildings.
This produces a forceful dialogue and preserves the compound’s industrial flair.

The giant Finn MacCool, a hunter and warrior, wanted to walk from
Northern Ireland to Scotland without getting his feet wet to battle his
enemy Benandonner. And so he threw gigantic boulders from the
cliffs into the sea and created a paved path – Giant’s Causeway.
The Irish love legends, so it comes as no surprise that they came up
with a myth to explain the astounding geometrical rock formations of
mostly hexagonal basalt stones arranged nearly without seams on
Northern Ireland’s Antrim Coast. For many years scientists sought an
explanation and eventually came to the conclusion that there had
been involvement neither from humans, nor from giants. ­Instead, temperature shifts some 60 million years ago caused the ­lava flow to solidify in this eccentric form. In keeping with the giant’s valiant gesture
the architects Róisín Heneghan and Shih-Fu Peng made an intervention in the UNESCO World Heritage site and cut two folds into the
ground nearby; they lifted one corner and inserted the visitor centre
underneath it, and lowered the other one to make room for cars to
park. Between them a grass ramp leads straight to the ridgeline. The
structure is carefully nestled in the landscape, leaves the view to the
coast – a certified Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) – intact and, with the help of the grass roof and basalt stone facade, becomes an integral yet barely visible part of the site. In cooperation
with the client (the National Trust) and the specialists of the different
firms, they developed the architectural entrée to World Heritage, in
the literal sense, “stone by stone”.

Others involved in the project: see page 321

262

Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre

2016 ¥ 3 Concept ∂

On Politics and Lava Stone –
In Conversation with Heneghan Peng

A

DETAIL: Giant’s Causeway is a United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage site. How
did you approach the design of a site of such
significance?
Heneghan Peng: The point of departure was
the idea that the visitor centre would not only mark the gateway to Giant’s Causeway,
but also to the entire coast. We wanted an
open transition and didn’t want a building
that would block the view of the silhouette of
the cliff. In summer a large number of visitors come to Giant’s Causeway by car, so it
was essential that not just the building, but
also the parking be integrated in the design.
We used the ten metre difference in level
between the edge of the cliff and the site to
unobtrusively insert the parking lot in the
landscape. Two right angles are inscribed in
the landscape. One of them is the edge of
the square. The other, offset from the first, is
lifted at the corner, allowing the building
massing to be situated below it. Between
them a grass ramp leads directly to the
coast. The two linear folds in the ground are
the essence of the concept, and there are
several other subordinate ideas.

4

3
1

B

2
5

DETAIL: What is the origin of the building’s
layout and functionality?
Heneghan Peng: First we had to think about
how to handle the great fluctuation, depending on the season, in the number of visitors
to the centre. In August they come in
droves, while in winter very few visitors
come. On the one hand, it was a matter of
guiding and distributing the masses. On the
other hand, it was important that the building not appear empty in winter. That’s why
we designed the interior as a very generously scaled, flexible space that we zoned
in a way that makes it possible to freely arrange the items on display. The visitors arrive at the parking lot and enter the rampshaped building where the fold reaches its
highest point. From there they may take the
shortest path to the stones, passing by the
ticket counters and toilets. If they have time
when they return, they might take a look at
the exhibition, browse in the shop, or have a
coffee. The functions can be changed any
time if needed. The floor area for sales or for
the exhibition can be enlarged, the entrance
relocated.
DETAIL: The flexible use, with multiple points
of access, almost allows visitors to pass
through the building without buying a ticket.
Was that your intention?
Heneghan Peng: We spent a lot of time discussing how to organise the access and the
ticketing. Ultimately we tried to casually
guide the visitors into the building without
putting up fences. To us it seemed fair to
charge for parking. In contrast, hikers coming from the other side via the grass ramp
past the building can head directly to the
Causeway. But it’s impossible to close off
the entire coast anyway. Our client, the National Trust, must bring in money with the
visitor centre. After all, the organisation
manages the World Heritage site on a long
stretch of coast, and, in addition to covering
the construction costs, is also responsible
for the maintenance of the paths and much
more. Doing this requires having a considerable number of employees on location. To
keep the costs down, the building is intend-

ed to “animate” visitors to come in and buy
a ticket. The National Trust proceeded on
the assumption that about 70 per cent of the
visitors would buy a ticket, but it turns out
that nearly everyone does.
DETAIL: Was the ticketing already foreseen
during the competition phase?
Heneghan Peng: The competition brief foresaw free entrance. That’s why we situated
the main entrance on the side, accessible
directly from the parking area. The second
entrance at the tip of the building was originally only intended for the café. But the parameters have changed since then. The adjacent land with the hotel and the stretch of
the coast belongs to the National Trust,
which was not the original client. The government of Northern Ireland held the competition, so we had to stay within the site’s
boundaries. When the National Trust took
over the project, we could share some resources. For example, we relocated the delivery to the hotel and the extended the floor
surface slightly towards the hotel. But the requirements changed and ticketing became
a stipulation of the program.
DETAIL: How did the change of clients come
about?
Heneghan Peng: That’s a complicated story
that has to do with politics of Northern Ireland. At first the government of Northern Ireland was the client. But in order to avoid a
conflict of interest between the public and
private sectors, it put the project on hold,
which, in turn, angered the citizens.
Then the National Trust, an organisation that
fosters nature conservation and historic
preservation, took on responsibility for the
project. The National Trust is very interested
in a high-quality, sustainable implementation, and has local contacts, as well as employees on location and experience with
UNESCO World Heritage sites in Great
­Britain. Consequently, they knew which
problems might arise when a large number
of visitors shows up at once. They were able
to give us very practical tips regarding how
to make it work.

DETAIL: The Trust supported the pared-down
design. The facility manager praised the design, calling it “strikingly simple”.
Heneghan Peng: Of course! The National
Trust is involved, above all, in the preservation of historic buildings. The visitor centre is
probably one of the first buildings that they
have developed within a World Heritage
site. Through the work with landmarks the
employees have considerable knowledge,
including of highly specific details. For example, they are very knowledgeable about
green spaces. We had intended to implement a standard green roof, with sealing
layer, substrate layer and the standard
grass seed, and had discussed it with the
subcontractor. But for ecological reasons
we couldn’t execute it that way. For two
years employees of the National Trust collected grass seed on site and tested how
well the lawn would hold up to intense use.
We never could have accomplished that
without the National Trust employees on location. In addition to the extensive vegetation with local grasses, the Trust placed
great value on the use of locally sourced lava stone for the facade.

E

D

DETAIL: Wasn’t the basalt stone facade already part of your competition design?
Heneghan Peng: Yes, we did choose basalt
for the competition design, but did not go into detail. The client was determined that locally sourced basalt from the same lava flow
as the Giant’s Causeway should be used.
Stone testing was carried out, and we were
aware that the stone blocks had a lot of
crack, which carried risks for the procurement of the stone. In addition, the stone was
weak in tension and could not be cut thin
enough to be used in a conventional cladding scenario. So we had to stack the stone
to obtain supporting columns. We had no
guarantee whatsoever that we would find
enough material at the quarry in the quality
and size we needed. And in the end it did
turn out that we had to use smaller formats
than planned.
DETAIL: What kind of support did you have in
the development of the structural system?
Heneghan Peng: We worked with, among
others, an architect who advises the Trust,
and he in turn, had a geologist as advisor.
The geologist supervised the tests that de-

termined the dimensions of the modules.
But the idea to stack the modules came
from an engineer who was actually working
on the glazing. He determined that the stone
can withstand compression loads well. In
combination with stainless-steel rods for the
tension loads, the result was workable. The
specialists spent months at the quarry
choosing the stone piece by piece. Then
they further processed the rough-hewn
pieces in the workshop. In addition to the
considerable effort required to process the
material, there was a high percentage of
stone waste: 60 per cent. At first we had our
doubts about the sustainability of the local
basalt as compared to a “low-maintenance”
stone that has to be transported from a
great distance. In the end, by using smaller
pieces and using the “leftover” pieces for
the floors, overall it is clearly a sustainable
material.
DETAIL: The link between the columns in the
facades and the Causeway seems obvious to
me. Why don’t you ever mention this reference?
Heneghan Peng: Sometimes design pro-

The architectural realisation of the Paul & Henri Carnal Hall at the Institut Le Rosey in Rolle
With its new Carnal Hall extension, Switzerland’s oldest private school, the Institut Le
Rosey, is aiming to provide a new platform
for artistic education. Besides an auditorium
with 900 seats for concerts, theatre performances and conferences, the domed building has a diameter of 80 m and secondary
rooms for music lessons and workshops.
The unusual architecture of the building is
impressive on account of its simplicity, modernity and beauty. The stainless-steel roof
covers an area of 4900 m2 and spans a
570-tonne steel structure. The integrated
skylights have a glass surface of 150 m2.
French-Swiss architect Bernard Tschumi
from Bernard Tschumi Architects, New York,
has paid particular attention to the material
aspects of the building. Inside, steel, glass
and wood dominate, while externally a shimmering stainless steel shell covers the entire
roof structure and cleverly stands out from
the large glass fronts. Developed with the
engineers of Arup in New York, the sophisticated geometry of the dome structure with
its arches and axis system that runs from top
to bottom not only complicated the structural
analysis of the entire building by engineering
firm Alberti Ingénieurs SA, Lausanne, it also
required steel construction specialists Tuchschmid to provide detailed static calcula-

tions for every single joint. Even during the
planning phase thought had to be given to
the assembly concept and the material logistics. The planning work for the radial, arched
and round intersections and joints was particularly challenging. The planning of the
stainless steel cover, too, was very complex,
as the joint lines run diagonally at regular
parallel distances to each other across the
roof structure, and with the exception of the
edge sheets, all the stainless steel parts
have the same dimensions.
Using the geometric data provided by the
architect, Tuchschmid’s planning department created a 3D model of the steel structure. The dome comprises a regularly arranged axis system with 24 main axes. The
purlins are made up of welded 4-edged
­hollow profiles (700 ≈ 300 mm) and are
­supported by a total of 26 steel columns
(Ø 300 mm) connected to each other on the
concrete. Round steel pipes (Ø 406 mm)
were used as steel rafters, which were inserted and screwed into the purlins. In the
upper dome area, a steel structure made of
massive H-beams was created, which is recessed with HEB girders. The encircling axis
structure is interrupted by three skylight
strips that follow the geometry in the upper
part of the building.

One challenge was the incisions in the
southern and northern areas of the building
for the respective roof terraces and balcony
rows that break through the set geometry
and which had a major impact on the statics
and arrangement of the steel structure. In
the central, upper roof area, a special,
curved steel structure made of welded Hplate girders and HEB beams was created.
This steel structure was covered with
150-mm-thick corrugated sheets and thus
forms the substructure for the concrete slab
that lies on it, which serves as soundproofing
for the concert hall. Another important element for the statics and planning was the encircling steel canopy construction, which
connects to the main structure.
Besides the steel substructure, Tuchschmid
remit also encompassed the entire complex
roof structure. The elements were manufactured according to the field size and precisely fitted onto the encircling field structure. The roof structure consists of a central
wooden sandwich panel with integrated insulation and a suspended, perforated
acoustic sheet, and a structure comprising
insulation, a membrane and a standingseam metal sheet. The knobs of the standing-seam metal sheet have special aluminium profiles for receiving the stainless-steel
sheets. The rectangular, folded stainlesssteel roof panels were clamped at various
points and screwed onto the profiles. They
form the external edge of the roof. Stainlesssteel sheets were used for all roof and terrace soffits as well as for the balcony balustrades. Three skylights were installed in the
roof structure that conform with the geometry
of the roof. A steel frame forms the connection to the roof structure. The trapezoidal insulating glass with its sun-protection coating
was installed later and has a pane size of up
to 2 m.
¥ Tuchschmid AG, Swizerland
� +41 52 728 81 11
www.tuchschmid.ch

288

Building for the Community

2016 ¥ 3 ∂

Light and shade

Improved performance follows theatre refurb

The £15 million extension to The Whitworth
gallery in Manchester employs a solar shading solution coupled with an intelligent lighting control system provided by Levolux. Designed by London-based architecture studio
MUMA, the extension comprises two new
wings formed from brick and glass.

An extensive refurbishment programme for
Liverpool’s Royal Court Theatre has seen
Phase 2 reach its conclusion, resulting in a
more energy-efficient, sustainable building.
New box office and public areas were created by extending the ground floor to fill the
space under the existing canopy. The aim
was to enable the theatre to stay open as
much as possible during the refurb; the
building services design was carried out by
Steven A Hunt & Associates, which worked
closely with architects Allford Hall Monaghan Morris and the theatre’s team to build
this requirement into the design.

The BREEAM ‘Excellent’ rated, two-storey
extension doubles the size of the gallery,
learning and storage zones, and benefits
from large expanses of glazing to maximise
natural daylight and allow good visibility
across Whitworth Park to the south. To prevent excessive glare and unwanted solar
heat gain, 48 roller blinds and 30 Skyvane
systems are all motorised and linked to an
intelligent control system.
Unguided, guided and zipped roller blinds
are fitted with a range of fabrics chosen for
their particular light transmission or light exclusion properties. The Skyvane system, a
form of non-retractable Venetian blind, has
been applied internally against inclined
glazed openings in three vaulted ceilings:
the 85 mm wide extruded aluminium slats,
with a pitch of 75 mm, have a natural anodised finish and can be rotated through approximately 100 � from fully open to fully
closed. When closed they interlock for maximum light exclusion.

The power distribution was still operating
from the original 1938 panel board � no
longer fit for purpose, it was isolated and
made safe but retained for historical interest. The new distribution system involves
amalgamation of the two existing switch
rooms into one, and work to move over to

the new supply had to be delivered out of
hours to avoid any risk of power outages.
Rewiring and lighting refurbishment of the
auditorium had already been completed in
the first phase of works but, as the whole
building is on the same network, upgrades
to the electrical distribution in Phase 2 had
to be designed to ensure that any isolations
did not affect performances.
The lighting theme is black and gold and
there are twin recessed downlights throughout the foyer with black and gold wall lights
in the stairways and break-out spaces. Hidden lighting in the lobby pelmets provides a
soft ambient light, and glass pendants over
the lobby were included to add drama. The
lighting is linked to scene-setting controls to
enable adjustments depending on the time
of day and the type of event being held.
All fittings are LED, including the rewired
and re-lamped existing fittings in the basement. PIR presence and absence detection
has been included for the toilets. Externally,
recessed striplights in the terrace floor light
the facade, with further striplighting under
handrails and recessed downlights lighting
the entrance to the foyer, all controlled by
timers and photocell daylight sensors.

The solar shading is linked to a lighting control system monitoring multiple internal and
external light sensors and presence detectors that can be individually configured. The
control system automatically adjusts the
lighting and blinds, taking into account the
position of the sun, the changing seasons
and the museum’s opening and closing
times, thereby generating significant reductions in energy consumption.

The heating system utilises the existing gasfired boiler, now enhanced with a weathercompensated, variable temperature radiator
circuit with intelligent controls to maintain a
constant optimum temperature and ensure
energy is not wasted. Flat panel radiators
around the building optimise heat circulation
and are designed into furniture where possible to blend unobtrusively into the interior
design. A mechanical ventilation system
with high-efficiency heat recovery units further limits demand on the heating system.

Offering a variety of community-based services, Old Trafford Youth Centre in Manchester needed a warm, easy-to-maintain
floor for a multi-use area that could be used
as a nursery during the day as well as hosting a number of activities, such as sports, at
other times. The centre’s Jill Carding commented, “We have 16 members of staff in
every day, with 40 to 50 families using our
facilities every week, and having suitable
flooring is a must for us.”

Walsall Arboretum in the West Midlands is
benefiting from a new visitor centre, with its
internal space maximised by the use of
moveable partitioning walls. The Victorian
public park is set in 73.5 hectares of land,
with iconic buildings and structures such as
a clock tower, boathouse and bandstand,
and has undergone significant redevelopment, with the new visitor centre located at
the heart of the park.

SG System Products designs, manufactures
and installs handrails and balustrades for
public and other sectors. Stargard, a Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)-compliant,
warm-to-the-touch handrail suited to the education sector, comprises a tubular system
of galvanised steel sleeved with 4 mm-thick
PVC. It can be teamed with either Stargard
or Sentinel (stainless steel) balusters for a
robust and minimal maintenance solution.
Single and double handrails and infill panel
options add to the design possibilities.

Trafford Borough Council is already using
Gerflor products in some of its schools and
community centres, and Taraflex™ MultiUse 6.2 was chosen for this project. In a
wood-effect design in five colourways, benefits include a P1 category shock absorption
with indentation resistance said to be twice
that required by EN Standard 14904, an
abrasion resistance three times the standard’s requirement and high resistance to
static and rolling heavy loads providing
25 to 35 % of shock absorption. Environmentally friendly, it has anti-bacterial properties
and doesn’t need polishing.
¥ Gerflor
United Kingdom
� +44 (0)1926 622600
www.gerflor.co.uk

The building provides educational areas for
schools, as well as recreational spaces, a
spacious café and offices. Moveable walls
were specified so that the café can be divided to accommodate the needs of the local community. Two continuously hinged
sliding/folding walls allow smaller rooms to
be quickly created and opened out for
larger gatherings. In light grey laminate to
complement the decor, the SWG folding
walls, for which Style is sole UK supplier,
are fitted with double PVC seals for high
acoustic integrity between adjacent spaces.
They slide into place along a ceiling track,
creating a firm wall with pass door within
minutes.
¥ Style, United Kingdom
� +44 (0)1202 874044
www.style-partitions.co.uk

A recent addition to the company’s portfolio
is the Illumine handrail with discreet LED inserts, which provides direct lighting to stairs
and can be specified on Stargard, Sentinel
and Citadel handrails and all balustrade
products. Sentinel offers a range of infills including glass and perforated metal sheet,
whilst Citadel is a brass handrail and balustrade system for a rich, traditional appearance in buildings of all types. In bright or
satin polish finish or with a clear lacquer applied after polishing, it is complemented by
a range of infill panel options.
¥ SG System Products
United Kingdom
� +44 (0)1473 240055
www.handrailsuk.co.uk

292

Building for the Community

2016 ¥ 3 ∂

Art of waterproofing

Acrylic stone helps blend the old with the new

Kemper System Kemperol 2K-PUR has replaced the failing waterproofing membrane
at a National Historic Landmark housing an
important art collection in New Canaan,
Connecticut in the USA. This was under
threat from an inherent problem of the basement structure: moisture infiltration and inconsistent temperature and humidity levels
had resulted in mould growth. Dating back
to 1965, the earth-berm structure, designed
as a modern interpretation of the Treasury of
Atreus in Mycenae, was built to house Philip
Johnson’s private art collection and was
later donated to the US National Trust.

The public services areas of Almere Town
Hall in the Netherlands, above, have been
completely refurbished and include extensive use of Hi-Macs® acrylic stone from LG
Hausys. The brief for architects Fokkema &
Partners was to emphasise the original characteristics, and at the same time create an
interior with unique touches. Previously it
was a dark building, and its concrete structure and height and the gold slabs embedded in the columns were not very visible,
but the remodelling has highlighted and enhanced the main features.

Test pits were dug to determine the condition of the waterproofing beneath the earthberm roof; the existing membrane had undergone piecemeal repairs over the years,
and sections that were intact were assessed
as at the end of their useful life. It was held
in place by 50 red coping stones, each
weighing up to 650 kg, and these had to be
removed by crane and returned to their exact location on site following installation of
the new Kemperol membrane.
¥ Kemper System
United Kingdom
� +44 (0)1925 445532
www.kempersystem.co.uk

A new layout for the ground floor means the
public services are accessed straight from
the main entrance, creating a more dynamic
space along its length. The public counters
and consultation and waiting rooms are located in an open environment, whilst the
vast proportions of the reception area stand
out due to the light diffused with the use of
Arctic White acrylic stone, which combines
well with the original structure. As well as
the counters, the touch screens for public
use are in the same material, creating a visual consistency across the whole area.
Hi-Macs has also been employed in the
transformation of the Tourism Office seen
below, located in the Casa de la Panadería

in Madrid, Spain. There are two areas � the
vaulted space where the old bakery stood
and the area that was the courtyard of the
house. Although viewed as a whole, it has a
number of separate sections including a
general information area, a shop selling souvenirs, bus and theatre tickets etc. and an
audiovisual set-up for use by visitors. Underfloor heating and LED lighting have been
installed, but the brick archways and plastered walls have been retained.
Alpine White and Opal acrylic stone were
used to create an innovative design that
blends seamlessly with the historical characteristics. The counter winds around the
columns in both directions to create areas to
serve the public; in this way, visitors can go
to any point easily and, in addition, the continuous surface presents different heights to
accommodate people standing, seated or in
a wheelchair. The material properties mean
joints are invisible, and its durability and
strength were also major factors for both
projects, as well as the non-porous surfaces
being hygienic and easy to clean.
¥ LG Hausys
United Kingdom
� +44 (0)1892 704074
www.himacs.eu

302

Bathrooms and Sanitaryware

2016 ¥ 3 ∂

Comprehensive wall panel and tap ranges

Treading safely

For shower, bath and basin areas, Flight
Modular Wall by Mira Showers is a range of
waterproof panels designed to achieve a
high-quality professional installation that
saves time over traditional tiling. Once in
place, the wall panels are a realistic alternative to tiles and remove the need for grouting and /or any visible silicone sealant when
used with upstand shower trays or baths. A
leak-proof corner profile offers complete integrity where panels butt together.

Aiming to support multi-generational living
and aid with accessibility, Twyford has extended its Opal bath range to include a
tread pattern, adding seven new variations
to this range. The tread covers the full
length of the base, and the bath comes in
the standard 1,700 ≈ 700 mm size shown
here and a more compact, space-saving
1,500 ≈ 700 mm model.

Manufactured from acrylic-capped ABS for
high impact resistance, the panels incorporate Biocote antimicrobial technology to
help keep mould at bay and eliminate the
risk of grout discoloration or porosity. The
company describes this as a ‘fit and forget’
product, combining low maintenance with a
stylish appearance, and making it suitable
for applications from social housing to hotels and student accommodation.
The 2.01 m high shower panels come in a
choice of three notional widths: 760, 800
and 1,200 mm. Actual dimensions are 735,
775 and 1,175 mm – tolerances being provided for by the complementary 25 mm corner profile, inclusive to the panel’s package.
The bath splashback is 500 mm high, whilst
that for basins is 250 ≈ 600 mm. Also new

from Mira is the Aspects collection of taps
comprising seven designs, from the chunky,
square-edged Honesty range to the authentic Victorian appearance of the Virtue, to
cover every style of bathroom. Three examples are shown here. Fluency, top, offers
ease of use with its ‘raceway’ shaped control lever that can be operated with just a finger or the side of the hand. Evolve (bottom,
left) is geometrically styled and designed to
remove the usual wedge cut-out from the
back of the lever and also the bite-out from
the spout for the aerator.
Below is Revive, offering a contemporary
pastiche of Victorian styling with features
such as the capstan taps, but designed to
complement both period and modern newbuild homes. The handle design has touch
points that feel generous between the fingers. Each of the seven designs covers the
full range of product types: monobloc, basin
and bath pillars, bath filler, and bath/shower
mixer. They work on all pressures, have integrated push-button diverters, and flush-fitting aerators for ease of cleaning.
¥ Mira Showers
United Kingdom
� +44 (0)1242 221221
www.mirashowers.co.uk

The company says the extra choice will provide greater design flexibility for developers
and social housing contracts. The tread pattern is also available with the low-volume
model, which saves up to 90 litres of water
each time, and there is additionally the option of chrome handgrips. The range carries
a 25-year guarantee.
Made of acrylic, to be warm to the touch
and offer good heat-retention properties,
the baths can be fitted with the new twinskinned Endurance front and end panels for
added robustness. The front panel fits any
1,700 mm bath and the end panel is available in 700 and 750 mm widths.
¥ Twyford Bathrooms
United Kingdom
� +44 (0)1270 879777
www.twyfordbathrooms.com

10 years of the DETAIL Prize
From 17 May to 30 June 2016, completed
projects that are characterised by innovative
details within a coherent overall concept
can once again be submitted as entries for
the DETAIL Prize 2016 competition. For the
past ten years the DETAIL Prize has been
awarded to future-oriented, innovative and
pioneering projects that have outstanding
architectural and technical qualities. The
prize is awarded every two years by DETAIL
in cooperation with BAU 2017 as the premium partner, Gartner as the main sponsor,
conceptual partners from the political arena,
and industry sponsors. This year for the first
time construction software manufacturer
Orca is also on board.
Over the years, various special prizes have
been offered alongside the main prize as a
way of reacting to current trends and developments. In 2016, two special prizes, DETAIL inside and DETAIL structure, will be offered for the first time. These two new categories are aimed at the core target group of
architects as well as at interior designers,
designers, civil engineers and structural engineers. The DETAIL Readers‘ Prize in contrast, the winner of which is voted by the DETAIL readership, has become firmly established. The DETAIL editorial team nominates
the most compelling entries for the main and
special prizes. The respective winners will
ultimately be voted by a jury of renowned
experts, which in recent years has included
star architects such as Carlo Baumschlager,
David Chipperfield and Lord Norman Foster.
The winning projects and offices will be announced and awarded at a gala ceremony
in Berlin on 11 November 2016, and exhibited in Munich during BAU, the world‘s leading trade fair for architecture, materials
and systems.
For more information visit: www.detail.de/
detailpreis and www.detail-online.com/detailprize
¥ Entries via: www.detail.de
and www.detail-online.com

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